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JOHN SCALES 



OLD HOME WEEK 



LEE, NEW HAMPSHIRE 
August 23, 1916 



TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 

OF 

SETTLEMENT OF THE TERRITORY 
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 

OF 

INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN 



ADDRESS BY 
JOHN SCALES, A. B., A. M. 




f^^ 



X^^^^ 



5?- 



THE TOWN OF LEE 



First Settlement 1 666 Incorporated 1 766 



The territory of Lee was a part of the old town of Dover, 
which began to be settled at Dover Point in the spring of 
1623, two hundred and ninety-three years ago. Just when 
the first settler struck this part of Old Dover is not known, 
but we do know that it was at a very early date. The early 
emigrants from England to Dover were always on the look- 
out for the best localities, and they found some of them in 
this section of it ; and those good places have remained here 
ever since, and some of their descendants still hold posses- 
sion. You speak of your town as one hundred and fifty years 
old, but the first settlers here antedate that number by a 
hundred years, so really you are celebrating your two hun- 
dred and fiftieth anniversary. Do you appreciate what that 
period of time means? Two hundred and fifty years, — No 
doubt the young folks who are here think a person who is 
fifty years old, is "old" indeed, yet the Civil war closed 
before such persons were born, and Lee began to be settled 
two hundred years before that war began. The ancestors 
of some of you were soldiers in the war of 1812-15, which 
war closed one hundred years ago, but the settlement of Lee 
began a hundred and fifty years before that war closed. 
All of you think of the Revolutionary War as a very long 
time ago, yet your town began to be settled a hundred years 
before that war began. From these illustrations I think you 
get an appreciative idea of the meaning of two hundred and 
fifty years ; you have occasion to feel that your town is old, 
this day of celebration. 

The first immigrants built their village on Dover Neck, 
on the hill north of Dover Point. By the way, that locality 
is called the " Neck " because it lies between three rivers, — 



4 

the Newichawannock on the east, — the Pascataqua on the 
south, — and Back River on the west. When they had got 
well housed on the Neck, they commenced to branch out in 
business. The whole country from here to Canada was a 
vast forest; the trees had to be cut and the ground cleared 
for farms. Saw mills were the first mills to be erected, to 
cut logs into lumber, for which there was a ready sale in 
the West Indies and in England and in European countries. 

In those days they did not have portable saw mills as the 
lumber men now have, but used the water falls to produce 
power; hence there was a great demand for sites for saw- 
mills. The town owned everything, and the people had to 
get grants from the town before they could set up a mill, or 
cut any trees for the mill. Another point should be kept 
in mind; Old Dover was a part of Massachusetts, being a 
town in Norfolk County, till 1680 ; there was not any " New 
Hampshire " till that date ; so Lee is about a quarter of a 
century older than New Hampshire. Being under Massa- 
chusetts rule the authorities in Boston thought they had the 
right to make grants of land to its citizens; not knowing 
the precise southern boundary line of Old Dover, they gave 
a grant to Samuel Symonds, of Ipswich, Mass., of 640 acres 
of land at the second falls in " Lamperele " River, June 3, 
1657, two hundred and sixty years ago. This was granted in 
the presence and with the consent of Moharimet, the Indian 
sagamore of this region, whose home was on Moharimet's 
Hill in Madbury, also called Hick's Hill. 

When the Selectmen of Dover found this out they pro- 
tested, on the plea that the falls were in their town, and 
that none but the town had any right to make grants of 
land within its boundaries. But Mr. Symonds held posses- 
sion ten years, or more. Probably he had a mill there, but 
I do not know. Dover kept on protesting against the action 
of the Boston authorities for making a grant of their terri- 
tory; the result appears in the Dover Town Records, as 
follows : 

May 3, 1669, Robert Wadleigh was received as an inhabi- 
tant in the town of Dover, " according to ye tenure of ye 



last inhabitant received." At the same town meeting he 
received the grant of what has ever since been known as 
" Wadleigh's Falls," being the same that Massachusetts had 
granted to Mr. Symonds, which shows the town regarded 
the Symonds grant as of no legal value. The grant reads 
as follows: 

"At a general town meeting held in Dover, March 3, 
1669, — Given and granted unto Robert Wadleigh, as accom- 
modation for the erection and setting up of a saw mill, or 
mills at the uppermost falls upon Lamperele River, common- 
ly called by ye name of ye Cleland falls ; with an accommoda- 
tion of timber thereunto belonging, ye bounds of ye timber 
are as follows: Yt is to say, — all ye timber on ye south 
side above sd falls as farr as ye towns bounds doth goe, and 
on ye north side all ye timber yt is within the River above 
sd falls as farr as ye Towne bounds doth goe, with one hun- 
dred acres of land on ye south side of ye sd River and twenty 
acres of land on ye north side of ye sd River adjacent unto 
ye sd falls, on both sides ; all which falls, timber and land is 
granted unto ye sd Wadleigh and his heires, executors, and 
adminst, and assigns, provided it doth not intrench upon 
any former grant, either in part or whole. In consideration 
of sd grant of ye falls, timber and land, ye sd Robt. Wadleigh 
doth engage himselfe, heires, executors, and adminstr. to 
pay, or cause to be paid unto ye Towne of Dover ye sum of 
ten pounds per an. in merchanta. pine bords at price curran'c 
at the ordinary landing place on Lamperele River lower falls, 
as long as he or they doe keepe possession there, of which 
payment is to begin ye last of August next insueing this 
instant, to be made unto ye Selectmen of Dover, or their 
order, and further it is agreed and ordered that if any pt. 
thereof be taken away by any former grant then ye Towne 
is to abate of ye rate proportionally. And alsoc ye Towne 
doth reserve free egress and regress for any transportation 
of timber, either by land or water ; and ye Inhabi lance have 
ye same Liberty in sd Grant as they have in other Mill 
grants." 

Soon after the town grant was made the authorities of 



the Massachusetts Bay Colony confirmed the grant to Mr. 
Wadleigh, and he had a saw mill running there that year; 
in due time there was a gristmill, and mills have been there 
ever since. In the old Dover records Wadleigh's falls are 
frequently mentioned, in land transfers and otherwise. 
There has been a settlement there two hundred and fifty 
years, perhaps that is the oldest place in Lee; there is 
much interesting history connected with it, which cannot 
be mentioned at this time. 

Old Dover included all of the present city and Somers- 
worth, Durham, Newington, Lee, Madbury and Rollinsford. 
For a hundred years all of the town meetings were held on 
Dover Neck, and the town business was transacted there; 
the courts were held there; there was the jail, the stocks, 
the whipping post, and meeting house, to which the people 
had to travel when they attended church. When the settle- 
ments in other parts of the old town grew large they estab- 
lished parishes, in which religious meetings could be held, 
but they all had to go to Dover Neck to attend town meet- 
ings. When the parishes grew in inhabitants, they were 
granted town privileges, for convenience in the management 
of local affairs. Newington was the first to be granted the 
rights of a town, in 1714; up to that time it was called 
" Bloody Point in Dover." Durham was the next to be cut 
oflf and made into a town ; that was in 1732 ; up to that time 
it was called " Oyster River in Dover." That, you under- 
stand, included Lee. Somersworth was made a town (which 
included Rollinsford) in 1754. Madbury followed in 1768 
Thus Old Dover was reduced to its present limits. 

Lee remained a part of Durham till 1766, when, after a 
lot of preHminary legislation, on January 16, the act for the 
new town of Lee became a law, and the new town was born. 
The petitioners did not give it that name, in fact they did 
not suggest any name ; it was probably the gift of Governor 
Benning Wentworth. The reasons for the division of Dur- 
ham were the same as those which led to the incorporation 
of the other towns ; that is to afford better accommodations 
for the management of local affairs. 



Why did Governor Wentworth select the name " LEE " 
for this town ? He named a large number of new towns, and 
gave them very appropriate names, but none better than 
this excellent town has borne for one hundred and fifty 
years. There is no record of his reason for so naming it. 
In selecting the English town names he took those in which 
his friends and acquaintances lived, the residences of dis- 
tinguished persons. I guess, but do not know, that he took 
the name Lee from the town of that name on the River Lee, 
now in greater London. 

During the hundred years, from the first settlement at 
Wadleigh's Falls, about 1666, to the time the territory was 
set off from Durham and made a town, a great deal of 
business was done in this territory ; there is a record of 
some things, but a great many more have no record, only 
tradition. Let us consider some of them, and thus see how 
the territory grew to be a town. 

As already mentioned the first settlement in the future 
town was at a saw mill, at Wadleigh's Falls. The money 
making propositions then consisted chiefly of the lumber 
business ; saw mills were necessary for cutting the trees into 
plank, boards, and dimension timber; all the large timbers 
of houses, and buildings in general, were hewn by skilful 
workmen with broadaxes. You older men here remember 
how it was done ; they snapped a chalk line from end to end 
of the log, and then hewed to the line, straight as an arrow. 
^0 saw mills were built wherever there was a water fall; 
there were several of them in the territory of Lee. The 
second one appears to have been built on the first fall of 
the river that is the outlet of Wheelwright's Pond ; the last 
J. heard of it they said it was Layn's mill. But at the begin- 
ning of things there, 250 years ago, or more, it was Jemi- 
son's mill, and not long after that the locality a^'ound it was 
^nown as New Town ; if I am not mistakened, it is so called 
at the present time. The saw mill was placed there not long 
After Symonds had his mill at Wadleigh's Falls. It is a 
^natter of record that the town of Dover, October 17, 1063, 
granted Patrick Jemison 120 acres of land, about a mile and 



8 

a half from Wheelwright's Pond, down the river on both 
gides, and including the falls. So New Town in Lee is 250 
^ears old. A few years after that the town of Dover had a 
piast road cut through the woods to New Town, for the 
accommodation of the lumbermen all along the route, in get- 
ting the pine trees for masts from their lots to Back River 
^n Dover, down which they were floated to Portsmouth and 
placed on ships and sent to England, for use in the ship 
J)uilding in general, and in the King's navy in particular. 
The old Dover records have frequent mention of New Town. 

For example, — 31 May, 1721, sixty acres of Jemison's 
grant were laid out to Captain Samuel Emerson, and in de- 
scribing the bounds it says, — " Beginning below New Town 
(Orchard, at a red oak on the south side of Oyster River, etc." 
That shows the place had an orchard, hence had been settled 
a long time. Captain Emerson bought it of John Webster 
and wife, Bridget, of Salisbury, Mass. Webster sold the 
other half of the Jameson grant to Nathaniel Randall, 27 
January, 1720 ; in the description of it the record says it was 
" along side of the Mast Path," leading through Madbury 
to Dover, at Wingate's slip, at Back River. 

Nathaniel Lamos had forty acres of land laid out to him 
17 May, 1729, " Beginning at Oyster River a little above the 
mill called New Town mill." A high way " From New Town 
mill up into the woods," is mentioned 20 October, 1735, when 
jtwenty-five acres were laid out to Robert Huckins. William 
Clay conveyed to his sons, Samuel and Joseph, 23 October, 
1742, " One full quarter part of a saw mill situated in Dur- 
ham, upon ye stream, or river called New Town River, being 
^e uppermost mill standing upon ye sd stream, and is next 
yto ye pond called Wheelwright's Pond, out of which sd 
stream issues." Also " a quarter part of ye running geer, 
dam, stream, and privileges there unto belonging." Various 
other land transfers might be mentioned in which Newtown 
mill is mentioned. About 1800 it began to be called Layn's 
fnill, from its then owner. Captain John Layn, who was a 
Resident of Durham as early as 8 March, 1760, when he 
enlisted in Captain Samuel Gerrish's company. Col. John 



Goff's regiment, for the Canada expedition. "John Layn 
of Durham, gunsmith," in a petition 26 May, 1761, states 
that he was employed as armorer for that regiment and 
furnished his own tools, but had received no extra pay for 
his service, hence he petitioned for it, and was allowed four 
pounds sterling. In the Revolutionary war he was captain 
of a company in Col. John Waldron's regiment that served 
in the siege of Boston, being stationed at Winter Hill in 
1776. He acquired land at Newtown in 1763, and again in 
1766. He has honorable descendants who bear the name. 

Newtown Plains have a unique history in connection with 
the mill. It is a sandy and not very prolific part of your good 
town; it is loose wheeling for teams that occasionally 
pass through there, on business, not for pleasure. Frequent 
imention of the plains is made in the old town records. No 
doubt some of you know a good deal more about it than I do. 
The Clay family gave it much fame in the 19th century. 

Other saw mills and grist mills were built elsewhere in 
the territory before it became a town. Wadlefgh's Falls are 
in the southwest part of the town, at the south end of the 
" Hook " in Lamprey river. The river, below the falls turns 
and runs southwesterly three-fourths of a mile, where it 
strikes a high hill of gravel and hardpan ; this obstacle turns 
the water almost at right angles and it flows in a northeast- 
erly direction almost a half mile, where it strikes the foot 
of another hill, and is curved in a northerly direction a mile 
and a half, through a fertile valley until it strikes the foot 
of the historic Lee Hilly and is diverted in a large circle, 
flowing easterly out of Lee into Durham. This valley 
through which the river forms the " Hook," has some of 
the finest farms in Strafford county. 

Little river runs into Lamprey river about a quarter of 
a mile above Hill's bridge, and a like distance from the town 
house ; on Little river are two falls, in Lee, which were much 
used in the centuries before the territory became a town. 
It is frequently mentioned in the early records of Dover and 
Durham. Its source is Mendum's Pond in Barrington. 
These mills with that on Lamprey river, at the foot of the 



10 

hill, made business lively, which in time made the village on 
the Hill, here; men do not build villages where there is no 
business going on. 

John Thompson, Sr., had a grant of land from the town 
of Dover, April 21, 1694, which included the " Little River 
Falls," where the first mill was built, soon after. Mr. Thomp- 
son mentions the saw mill in his will, 12 April, 1733. This 
mill was at the foot of the high and steep hill, on the sum- 
mit of which was the home of the Thompson family from 
two centuries ago to the present time. What is now known 
as the " Mast road " from the State Collej?e to Lee Hill 
was built about that time to accommodate the lumbermen, 
and extended to Little River mill. 

23 June, 1701, three score acres of land were granted to 
Jethro Furber, by the town of Dover, " adjacent to Lam- 
pereal Little River ; " this was laid out 2 Feb., 1726-7, as 
follows, — " Beginning on the northeast side of said Little 
Rive7\ above the old mast ivay." It was called " mast way," 
because the large pine trees for masts were hauled over it 
to Oyster River Falls, and then floated down to Pascataqua 
River and on to Portsmouth, or wherever needed. This 
grant of land, or part of it, has remained in possession of 
the Furber family more than two hundred years. The road 
from The Hill, by Furber's place to Wadleigh's Falls, was 
laid out 31 July, 1753, but communication with Little River 
was opened more than two hundred years ago, and log 
houses, for the lumbermen, began to be built here on the 
Hill. What is called the North River road, from Little River 
falls to the falls in North River, where Lee joins Notting- 
ham, was laid out about 1740, but there was a path up over 
the Thompson hill, and along by the Cartland farm several 
years before that. It was the old fashion to build the houses 
first and then build the roads later. That is why so many 
of the old roads in New Hampshire go over steep hills, 
instead of in the valleys, around the hills. 

A short distance below Little River Falls are what were, 
in early times, called Thompson's Falls ; Jonathan Thompson 



11 

had a gristmill and fullingmill there, and in his will, 10 Sept., 
1756, he gave these and an acre of land to his son Joseph, 
who, May 3, 1774, sold them to Josiah Bartlett of Haverhill, 
Mass. ; the sale included his dwelling house and one acre of 
adjoining land, and four acres between the fullingmill and 
the Little River sawmill. Mr. Bartlett lived near his mills 
and carried on the business there for many years. He was 
one of the enterprising business men and influential citizens 
of the town; he had a family of several children, sons and 
daughters. One of his brothers was Col. Thomas Bartlett 
of Nottingham, the distinguished patriot of the Revolution- 
ary War, and whose grandson, Hon. John C. Bartlett, of 
this town needs no introduction to this audience. He is 
the only surviving grandson of Col. Thomas, who died on 
Nottingham Square 111 years ago. 

Lee " Hook " has no duplicate in New Hampshire, in the 
windings of any of its rivers. The first " Hook " sawmill 
was probably built about 1700. The inventory of George 
Chesley's estate, of Durham, 27 August, 1724, mentions 
part of the mill " at ije Hook of Lampreel River.'' It is 
called the " Hook mill " in a deed of 1728, Ephraim Foul- 
sham, 4 Dec, 1742, conveyed to his son, John, sixty acres 
of land in Durham, bought of Major Peter Oilman, 8 Dec, 
1739, " Lyinge next to ye highway below ye Hook mill, be- 
ginning twenty rods above ye second brooke from ye house, 
formerly Captain Oilman, his house, towards ye Hook mill." 
2 May, 1749, Peter, John, Samuel, and Noah Oilman con- 
veyed to Joseph Smith 190 acres " at a place commonly 
called The Hook, beginning by the side of Lampreel river, 
in the turn below the falls, where the Hook mill stood." 

The Durham grants of land at the Hook conflicting with 
the Oilman claims, Samuel Smith and Capt. Jonathan 
Thompson were appointed agents of the land proprietors in 
Durham, 28 Nov., 1748, to agree with Col. Peter Oilman and 
others, about " the parcel of land in Durham on the south 
side of Lampreel River, commonly called and known as the 
Hook land." John Thompson of Durham, " one of ye pro- 
prietors of ye Hook land, and ye proper owner of one whole 



12 

share/* conveyed his share, 30 August, 174S, to Abner 
Clough of Salisbury. Mass. 

The " Hook road to Northwood " is mentioned on the 
State map of 1803. It runs from Newmarket through the 
Hook, and crosses Lamprey river at Hill's bridge near the 
falls, where have been the Hook mills. This bridge was 
so called because Capt. Reuben Hill settled near there about 
1750 and owned a sawmill and gristmill at the falls. He 
built, about 17G0. and lived in, the house on the hill, south of 
the bridge, now known as the Israel Bartlett house. Capt. 
Hill was one of the leading men in Lee for many years. His 
mills are mentioned in the records of the town, as also his 
bridge. He was one of the selectmen several years and 
performed other official duties. Capt. Hill died in 1794, and 
his heirs sold the water privilege at the Hook in the first 
decade of the 19th century, but the bridge still retains his 
name ; let it be forever *' Hill's bridge." 

The hamlet here at Lee has been a place of business two 
hundred years, at least. Much that I have been telling you 
happened before Lee became a town, by itself: hence as I 
have already remarked, you are celebrating a 250th anni- 
versary, as well as the 150th. of historic events, — one the 
first settlement, and the other the incorporation of the 
town. 



THE INCORPORATION OF THE 
TOWN, 1766 



When a century had passed, from the first settling of the 
town territory, at Wadleigh's Falls, the farm holdings had 
become quite numerous, and the farmers were complaining 
of having to travel to Durham Falls to attend town meet- 
ings ; they had a minister and a meeting house ; the time 
had come to have their own town meetings ; following is 
the first step taken in 1764 ; the record is : 

" Province of New Hamp. at a Publick Town meeting, 
(Legally Notified) held at the Meeting house at The Falls 
in Durham, on Monday the third day of September, A. D. 
1764, — Joseph Atkinson, Esq., was chosen Moderator, for 
the well Regulating Said Meeting, — Voted that there should 
be a Committee Chosen to run Line across said Town of 
Durham, from Paul Chesley, his house, near madbury line, 
to the house of John Smart upon Newmarket Line, being 
according to the request of Sundry of the Inhabitants of 
Said Town, requesting that, — All the upper, or Western End 
of said Town, above the aforesaid line may be voted to be 
Sat off as a Parish. 

" Voted that Lieu. Joseph Sias, mr. Miles Randel, and mr. 
Nicholas Duda of the Petitioners and Capt. Benjamin Smith, 
Capt. Stephen Jones and mr. Thomas Chesley, of the lower 
Part of the Town, be the Persons to be employed as a Com- 
mittee for the aforesaid Purpose. 

" Voted likewise, if the said Committee Don't Think the 
Line Petitioned for to be Suitable (then) to fix any other 
Line that they may Unanimously agree upon and make 
Report thereof Accordingly, to the Town on the 24th inst., — 
The meeting then adjourned to the 24th day of September, 
instant, to 2 of the clock in the afternoon. 

" Met according to adjournment, Sept. 24th and the Com- 



14 

mittee made the following Report, in writing, under their 
hands, To the Town: 

" Whereas, we, the subscribers, were chosen at a Publick 
Town meeting of the Inhabitants of Durham, the 3d inst. 
to run a line across said Town, agreeable to a petition. Ex- 
hibited to said Town by Sundry of the Inhabitants Request- 
ing the Western Part thereof, to be Sat off into a Parish, 
it was likewise voted, — That if we the Subscribers Don't 
Think the line Petitioned for proper, to Fix Some other 
Line, that we might agree upon, and make Report to the 
Town accordingly. Pursuant Thereto we have Run the Line 
Petitioned for, and indeavored to View, and inform our- 
selves, into the Circumstances of said Town, and do Unani- 
]nously agree that a Straight Line (be run) : Beginning 
one hundred and twenty-four Rods above the dwelling house 
of Paul Chesley, on Madbury Line, and so to Run a 
Straight Point across to Newmarket Line, to one mile and 
a half above the dwelling house of John Smart, may be a 
suitable Line. 

" N. B. It is the intent of the above Resolve that the line 
fixed upon. Run from the house of Paul Chesley, North 6 
degrees East, to Madbury Line & then to measure up 124 
rods, by said Madbury Line. 

Stephen Jones, Miles Randel, 

Benjamin Smith, Joseph Sias, 

Nicholas Duda, Thomas Chesley, 

Committee. 

" The meeting adjourned to the 8th day of October, next, 
to 2 of the clock in the afternoon, — October 8th, met ac- 
cording to adjournment, and Voted : That Capt. Benjamin 
Smith, and Lieut. Joseph Sias, be appointed to draw a vote 
for the Western Part of the Town to be Sat off as a Parish, 
and bring it to the Town at some Publick Town meeting. — 
The Town meeting Dissolved. 

" November 18, 1765. — At a Publick Town meeting (Le- 
gally Notified) of the Inhabitants of Durham, held this day 
at the falls in Durham — Joseph Atkinson, Esq., Chosen mod- 



15 

erator for Said meeting — Capt. Benjam. Smith, Esqr., and 
Capt. Joseph Sias Brought the following Vote to the Town 
in Writing, — That the Western End of said Town of Dur- 
ham, be voted, to be Sat off as a parish, Agreable to the 
Result or the Report of a Committee (Chosen and appointed 
for that purpose) and brought into Publick Town meeting 
the 24th day of Septmr., 1764 — with this addition thereto, 
that the said parish (when an act may be Obtained for that 
Purpose) shall take Their proportionable Part of the Poor 
now supported by the whole Town, and Likewise That the 
Said Parish shall not in any Respect Interfere with any 
Lands belonging to the Proprietors in said Town — Voted 
that the above Vote, Brought by Capts. Smith and Sias, is 
agreeable to the Sense of the Town, and that it be Recorded 
accordingly. 

" The above & within are True Copyes, as on Durham 
Town Records. 

attest — Ebenr. Thompson, T. Cler." 



Petition to the General Assembly. 

Captains Smith and Sias had the following petition to the 
General Assembly all drawn up and ready to be signed when 
the meeting adjourned, and the men in attendance signed 
as appears below ; the list is interesting as showing " who 
was who " in Durham and Lee (to be) at that time. 

" Province of New Hamp'r, To his Excellency Benning 
Wentworth, Esqr., Governor and Commander-in-Chief in 
and over his majesty's Province of New Hampshire to the 
Honourable his majesty's Council and the House of Repre- 
sentatives, in General Assembly Convened — The Petition 
of Sundry Inhabitants Sufficient for two Parishes and to 
maintain and support the charge thereof, — That many of 
the Inhabitants live more than eight miles from the place 
of Worship and where all the Town meetings and the Pub- 
lick Affairs are holden and transacted which Renders it very 
Difficult for them to Attend there at any time, but more 
Especially in the Winter Season, that Consequence there- 



16 

of, it is probable, will be that many of the Youth of Said 
Town will be brought up in great Ignorance, unless the 
Difficulties be removed, and the Petitioners are in a great 
measure prevented the use of their Privileges in their pres- 
ent Situation. 

" Wherefore, your Petitioners most humbly pray your 
Excellency and Honours, that there may be two Parishes in 
said Town, and that the Dividing Line between the Two Par- 
ishes, Beginning at Paul Chesles house at Beech Hill, so called, 
then North Six Degrees East to the Line Between said Dur- 
ham and Madbury, then running westerly on said line one 
hundred and twenty-four rods, then Beginning and Running 
from thence to New Market line to one mile and a half above 
the Dwelling House of John Smart, which Line was agreed 
upon by a Committee Chosen by the Said Town of Durham 
in the year one thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Four, 
and Voted in Publick Town meeting, and so to Include the 
whole of said Durham above this line. We therefore Hum- 
bly pray your Excellency and your Honours to take our Case 
into your wise Considerations and Set said Parish off by 
said Line, with the Powers and Privileges of Other Towns, 
or Parishes in this Province, and your Petitioners as in Duty 
bound shall Ever pray. 

" Dated at Durham November 18th, 1765. 

Hercules Mooney -^ Timothy Davis 

Gideon Mathes thomas York 

Winthrop Durgin mason Rendel 

Elijah Denbo Joseph Clay 

Samuel Jackson Nathaniel Stevens, Jun. 

Joseph Thompson Stoten Tuttle 

James Hall Miles Randel 

Jonathan runnels Samuel Langley 

Samuel pitman Zacheus Clough 

John follett John Davis 

Benjamin Bradley James Giles Bunker 

Joseph Jackson Robert York 

Josiah Johnson Bartholomew Smart 



17 



Nicholas Tuttle 
Samuel Burley 
Nathaniel Randal 
Reuben Hill 
Clement Davis 
James Watson 
Nathaniel Frost 
Samuel Watson 
Josiah Durgin 
John Durgin 
John Shaw 
Benjamin Woodman 
Samuel Sias 
David munsey 
Benja Clark 
Eben Jones, Junr. 
Moses Davis, Jr. 
William Waymoth 
James Davis 
Hanary tufts 
nathaniel Watson 
Andrew Watson 
Isaac small 
Joseph Hicks 
John Sanborn 
Edward Hill 
Thomas Snell 
Eli Clark, Junr. 
Moses Dam 
joseh doe 
Benja Durgin 
Eben Randel 
Micah Emerson 
Joseph Clark 
Joseph Sias 
John Elliot 

Joshua Woodman, Jun. 
In the above petition no 



John Giles 
Joseph Meder 
Thomas Huckins 
Nicholas Duda 
Eben Lethers 
William Renely 
francis Eliot 
Benjamin Bickford 
Isarel Randel 
Francis Durgin 
Joshua Burnum 
Samuel Carter 
Thomas huckins, jr. 
Solomon Sias 
francis Allen 
Edward Scales 
William Cashey 
Samuel Bickford 
wilham Rendel 
Job Runels "^ 
John Clark 
David Davis 
Jonathan Stevens 
Ebenezer Dow, Junr. 
Nathaniel Watson, Jun. 
Joseph Huckins 
John Shaw, Junr. 
Ichabod Denbow 
Thomas Wille 
John Snell 
Eli Clark 
Hunkin Dam 
Thomas Noble 
Ebenezer Jones 
Nathaniel Sias 
Nathaniel Stevens 
George tutle 
mention is made of a name for 



18 

the new town; the petitioners simply say they wish to be 
set off from Durham as a parish and that Durham is wilHng 
for the Assembly to grant their request. Probably Gover- 
nor Wentworth selected the name, as he did for many other 
New Hampshire towns, but there is an interesting tradition 
that has come down in the Cartland family that their an- 
cestor suggested the name to Governor Wetnworth, as his 
emigrant ancestor came from Scotland, in which is a town 
of Lee ; and Sir Walter Scott, in one of his novels, speaks of 
" the Cartlands of Lee." This is given as an interesting 
tradition, but the present generation of the family do not 
claim it is "authority" for settling the question. 



The Journal of the House (New Hampshire Provincial 
Assembly) for Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1766, A. M., has the 
following : 

"A message was sent to the Council by the Clerk of the 
House to Enquire what Acts had passed the Council and 
were consented to by the Governor. 

" P. M. In answer to the message to the Council by the 
Clerk in the forenoon Mr. Secretary (Theodore Atkinson) 
came down and informed that the following Acts were con- 
sented to by the Governour (Benning Wentworth), viz: 

" For a new Parish in Durham, — To enable the Treasurer 
to recover debts, — To revive the Proprietary Act, — To en- 
able the Selectmen to exchange Roads, — To enable inhabi- 
tants to call town-meetings, — To dissolve the marriage of 
Samuel Smallcorn." 

In passing it is of interest to note that in those days 
Governor Wentworth performed marriage ceremonies and 
the General Assembly granted divorces. 

The records of the Assembly from January 15 to Jan- 
uary 23 are missing. Perhaps no business was done during 
that period. But on the 16th of January, 1766, the Act 
for a new parish (town) of Lee became a law; because the 
record for January 10th states that the House passed an 
"Act for incorporating a new Parish in Durham." In that 
Act the name " Lee " is first mentioned. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWN 



The Act of incorporation authorized Joseph Sias to call 
the first town meeting ; he performed that duty and ordered 
the meeting to be held on the 18th of March, 1766. The 
voters met and organized by choosing Miles Randall for 
moderator and clerk ; Robert Thompson, Ely Clark, and 
Nicholas Duda were chosen selectmen. Various routine 
work was then done ; one thing was the appointment of 
Zacheus Clough to, — '* Inspect into the affairs of Reverend 
Samuel Hutchins," who was then minister at The Hill, where 
the first town meeting was held, and where all the rest of 
the town meetings have been held for one hundred and fifty 
years. There is no record of when Mr. Hutchins began 
preaching there, Mr. Clough attended to the duty assigned 
him and in due time reported that the " affairs of Mr. Hutch- 
ins " were satisfactory ; whereupon the town voted to con- 
tinue him as minister. He held the office till about 1800, 
and appears to have done good work among the people. 
During the Revolution he was a valiant supporter of the 
patriotic cause ; and was influential in getting men to serve 
in the army, and in aiding their families while they were 
away from home. His successor was Rev. John Osborne, 
who was minister here thirty-one years, — 1800-1832. The 
history of the ministers will be considered later in this brief 
account of Lee. 

Before the town was incorporated, the locality where the 
town house is was known as " The Hill," since then it has 
been " Lee Hill," to outsiders, but for the home dwellers it 
is, and always will be, — " The Hill." There is no record 
of the man's name who built the first house on The Hill, but 
it was built by some lumbermen two hundred years ago. 
The years went by; business increased; more houses were 
built; then the store-keeper put in an appearance and kept 



20 

supplies of what the lumbermen and farmers wanted for 
their famiy use. Business increased; five roads, or more, 
came to center here and brought business from all points of 
compass, and more stores and houses had to be built here to 
accommodate public demands. So, a hundred years ago. The 
Hill was quite a village, and a very lively place of business ; 
it remained so till the Boston & Maine railroad reached 
Newmarket, in 1841 ; during the seventy-five years since 
then it has decreased to its present quiet ways of living. 

During the stage coach period of New Hampshire, which 
began about 1800 The Hill was one of the centers of travel 
between the seacoast towns and the upcountry towns to 
Concord. There is nothing here today to indicate there 
was such activity ; but history shows it was so. 

The old Pascataqua Bridge was completed in 1794; the 
New Hampshire Turnpike was opened for travel from there 
to Concord about 1802, and its route through Lee made 
quite a change in conditions of travel ; the Lee families who 
lived " on the Turnpike " were looked upon by the other 
farmers as " aristocrats," and taverns sprung up to accom- 
modate the travelers. But The Hill was the center of busi- 
ness. Stage coaches were run from Newmarket to the 
Turnpike to meet the coaches for Concord. Another coach 
line ran from Dover through Lee, Nottingham Square, 
Chester, Derry, Windham to Lowell, when they began to 
build the cotton factories there. They began to build the 
cotton factories at Dover about the same time. At Notting- 
ham Square, General Bradbury Bartlett was the agent for 
the management of this line for a number of years. He was 
son of Col. Thomas Bartlett ; in his later years he was known 
as Judge Bartlett. 

Edwin B. Nealley, brother-in-law of Judge Bartlett, came 
to Lee to reside on the Hill, about 1810. He purchased the 
large house that is now standing a short distance north of 
the present store and post-office, and which was the resi- 
dence of Simon Otis in the last half of the 19th century. 
That house was built by Elijah Cartland about one hundred 
and thirty years ago; he married Abigail Scales, who was 



21 

born up here on the Scales farm in Nottingham, and they 
commenced house-keeping in it soon after it was built. Mr. 
Cartland is great uncle to Mr. Charles S. Cai:tland, cashier 
of the Strafford National Bank; and Abigail Scales is my 
father's great aunt. Mr. Cartland was one of Lee's enter- 
prising business men in the last quarter of the 18th century 
and the first decade of the 19th century ; he then removed 
to Maine, and was one of the prominent men there the rest 
of his life. When I was a boy and used to come to The Hill 
to private schools, there was a store on the north side of 
the house, and a hall over the store, the entrance to which 
was by stairs on the outside of the building. I presume 
that Mr. Cartland built the store and hall after he built 
the house ; any way he always had the store and hall, and 
they were much used. Sullivan Lodge of Free and Accepted 
Masons held their meetings there, from the beginning of the 
organization, for a number of years. Private schools were 
kept there by excellent teachers. Public assemblies were 
held there, under the management of accomplished dancing- 
masters, who furnished music with their violins. My recol- 
lection is that both the day school and the dancing-school 
were well conducted ; for a brief time I attended both and 
received profit and pleasure. One of the teachers, when my 
father was a boy, was Dr. Hilliard ; one of the teachers when 
I was a boy was B. Van Dame, whom many of you remember. 
I have said that Edward B. Nealley came here to reside 
about 1810; this was his home till his death in 1839. He 
was a very able business man ; a popular citizen ; a first class 
politician, in the best sense of the word ; there was nothing 
petty about his work. In 1809 he married Sally True of 
Deerfield, a most excellent woman ; they raised a remarkable 
family of children, — four sons and six daughters, all born 
in that old house, a short distance from the town house. 
The elder son, Greenleaf, was born in 1810; about 1840 he 
went to Iowa, and was one of the leading business men in 
Burlington for a half century. The second son, Edward St. 
John, born in 1811, was a member of the class of 1835, 
Bowdoin College ; he became a lawyer and was a resident of 



22 

Bath, Me., till his death in 1881 ; he was one of the distin- 
guished citizens of that city ; he was Collector of that port 
from 1866 till 1881. The third son, Benjamin Franklin, 
was a merchant in Lowell, Mass., many years. The younger 
son, Joseph Bowdoin, was a distinguished citizen of Bur- 
lington, Iowa, and engaged in business with his brother, 
Greenleaf. The daughters were all excellent women, and 
well educated. One daughter, Elizabeth Sarah, was the 
wife of United States Senator James W. Grimes of Iowa, 
who had been Governor of that State before he was Senator, 
which latter office he held from 1859 till 1869, when he 
resigned on account of ill health. He was one of the ablest 
men in the Senate during the Civil War. Mrs. Grimes' twin 
sister, Sarah Elizabeth, was the wife of Judge Cyrus Olney 
of Astoria, Oregon, for many years one of the leading men 
of that State. Lee has occasion to be proud of its sons 
and daughters, who have won fame in other States. A 
granddaughter of Edward B. Nealley was wife of Senator 
William B. Allison of Iowa. He died but recently, after a 
service in the United States Senate of thirty years or more. 
The Nealley burial ground was on the east side of the road, 
northeast of the house. About 1875 Greenleaf Nealley had 
the remains of all removed to Burlington, Iowa, and rein- 
terred in the City Cemetery there, and erected appropriate 
memorial stones. 

Lee Hill from being a hustling village during the first 
half of the 19 th century, has gradually diminished to the 
proportions of the quiet hamlet it is at the present day, with 
its meeting-house, town-house, small store with the post- 
office in it, grange hall, parsonage and a few dwelling 
houses. In ancient times there were lawyers and doctors 
in Lee, but for a long time no doctor or lawyer has had an 
office here ; no need of them. It has too small a population to 
support more than one religious society; so all combine in 
one church, regardless of minor religious opinions, in support 
of a Congregational church, in the altruists sense of the 
word. In the interim between the stage coach period and 
the long continued period of present quiet and prosperity, 



23 

there was a prevalence of intemperance, but vigorous Chris- 
tian heroism in a few years wrought for the better, and 
now Lee for many years past, has held the rank, in respect 
to temperance and sobriety, of being " the banner town of 
Strafford County." 



MEN OF LEE IN WARS AND PEACE 



The men of Lee have a patriotic record in the French 
and Indian wars and in the Revolutionary war ; and hkewise 
in the Civil War. During the Indian war period, 1675-1725, 
the inhabitants had to keep constant guard lest they be 
attacked by a secret Indian foe, but the only great battle 
with the Indians in Lee was at Wheelwright's Pond, in 
July, 1690. On March 18th previous, the Indians had at- 
tacked and destroyed the settlement at Salmon Falls, now 
in the town of Rollinsford. The inhabitants there made a 
brave defense, but were out numbered by the foe, and after 
thirty of their fighting men had been killed, the rest sur- 
rendered. In May following, this same party of Indians, 
with some additions, attacked and destroyed Casco. The 
Indians then came up to Fox Point, in what is now New- 
ington, where they burned some houses, killed about fourteen 
and carried away six as prisoners. On the 4th day of July 
eight men were killed as they were mowing in a field some- 
where along Lamprey River, in Lee. A boy was carried 
away captive. The next day they attacked Captain Hilton's 
garrison at Exeter. This was well defended and they failed 
to capture it. They then came back to Lee (territory). 
They had their camp on the bank of Wheelwright's Pond. 

Two companies under Captains Floyd and Wiswell were 
out scouting on the 6th day of July and discovered the 
tracks of the Indians; they followed the trail and found 
the Indians engaged in fishing on the west bank of the pond. 
The savages were taken by surprise, but quickly changed 
work from fishing to fighting, and a bloody engagement 
followed for several hours. The pond was surrounded by 
heavy growth of trees, behind which the warriors concealed 
themselves as best they could, from the bullets of their 
opponents. They went from tree to tree and shot as they 
saw an Indian's head or body. It was a hand-to-hand 



25 

contest, but dodging from tree to tree. Captain Wiswell's 
company suffered the worst, and very badly, though his 
men gave the Indian fighters a severe drubbing. When you 
visit the pond you can see where the battle took place ; the 
railway track lies over part of the ground. Captain Wis- 
well, Lieut. Flagg and Sergt. Walker were killed ; twelve 
privates of the companies were killed and several were 
wounded. Captain Floyd kept up the fight for a while after 
his companion officer was killed, but it was an exceedingly 
hot day and his men had become so wearied that he had to 
give up the battle; as he withdrew his men in an easterly 
direction through the woods, the Indians withdrew in the 
opposite direction, being too weary to pursue the white men. 
The Indians took their dead with them to some safe place 
where they buried the bodies ; they also took their wounded 
with them. It is not known how many Indians were killed, 
but it was a drawn battle. That night Captain Conners 
went to the battlefield and searched for the wounded. He 
found seven whom he took to the nearest farm houses at 
" Newtown," or maybe Layne's mill, and had them cared 
for, about sunrise. The dead were buried among the trees 
of the forest, by the pond ; of which number were Captain 
Wiswell, Lieut. Flagg and Sergt. Walker. No man knows 
where their graves are, not even a common field stone being 
placed at the heads of their graves. The Indians on their 
way westward, in the course of a week, killed between Wad- 
leigh's Falls and Amesbury, Mass., not less than forty 
people, according to the chronicles of the day. They did 
not take any prisoners. 

When the news reached Oyster River that a battle was 
going on at the pond all of the fighting men made haste to 
take their guns and run to the aid of Captains Floyd and 
Wiswell. It is recorded that some of the men made such 
haste that they fell exhausted by the heat; one man died 
of surfeit, but the others got there in season to render 
valuable assistance. 



GARRISONS IN LEE 



Only three garrisons are mentioned as being in the town 
of Lee; of course you understand these were long before 
the town was incorporated; the red men had disappeared 
seventy years before the date of your celebration was on 
the calendar of time. There was one at South Lee, on the 
North River road, which was built by Joseph Doe, who 
bought land there 23 June, 1737, of John Bickford, which 
had been assigned to Bickford as his share of the common 
lands in Durham in 1734. After the death of Mr. and Mrs. 
Doe, the house became the property of their daughter, who 
had married Elijah Fox. Up to that time it had been 
called the " Doe garrison." Later it came to be called the 
" Fox garrison," because Mr. and Mrs. Fox owned it, and 
lived there a long time. At the death of Mr. and Mrs. 
Fox it passed to the ownership of their granddaughter, 
wife of Daniel Cartland, but it never lost the name of " Fox 
garrison." After the death of Mrs. Cartland, Mr. Samuel 
French bought it and resided there till his death, about 
1880. Soon after it was taken down. 

The Jones garrison was at " Newtown." This was built 
long before the Fox garrison, as there was a settlement at 
that locality before 1700, probably two hundred and thirty 
years ago, and the garrison was built about that time, as the 
Indians were then very troublesome neighbors. It stood 
on the Nehemiah Snell farm, and was much resorted to for 
safety by the farmers in that section of Old Dover, when 
the Indians were reported to be on the warpath at Cochecho 
and Oyster River, where the awful massacres occurred in 
June, 1689 and July, 1694. The old garrison was taken 
down many years ago. 

The Randall garrison stood on the Mast road, between 
The Hill and where now is the New Hampshire College. 
It stood on the south side of the road near what is known 
as the A. D. Wiggin house. It was built of logs with the 



27 

upper story projecting over the lower, with loop-holes in 
the walls for the discharge of guns when an Indian might 
be seen prowling in the bushes for a snap-shot on some 
member of the family. The builder was Captain Nathaniel 
Randall, son of Richard and Elizabeth (Tozer) Randall. 
Captain Randall's grandfather was Richard Tozer, who mar- 
ried Judith Smith in Boston. Governor Richard Belling- 
ham performed the marriage ceremony ; of course it was a 
fine wedding at the Governor's house, which is now stand- 
ing near where the Boston Evening Transcript printing office 
is. Later they came to reside at Salmon Falls, where they 
were killed by the Indians 16 October, 1675. Captain Ran- 
dall, the garrison builder, married Mary Hodgdon of Dover, 
one of the old families of that city. He probably built the 
garrison about 1720, nearly two hundred years ago. He 
took his bride there to live, and that was their home till his 
death, 9 March, 1749. His grave is in the old cemtery, 
about two miles and a half from The Hill, on that road to 
the State College. There is no record, or tradition that the 
Indians ever attacked these garrisons, but the dwellers 
therein were in constant fear all the time lest an attack 
might be made. 



LEE MEN IN THE REVOLUTIONARY 

WAR 



Lee has a good record in the Revolutionary War period. 
The first action on their part was to sign the "Association 
Test," which was sent out to all the towns, by the Committee 
of Safety, in the spring of 1776. This was designed to find 
out how many were Tories, or persons opposed to the pro- 
posed war with Great Britain, for American Independence. 
It reads as follows: 

" We, the subscribers, do here by solemnly engage and 
promise that we will, to the utmost of our power, and at 
the risque of our lives and fortunes, with arms, oppose the 
hostile proceedings, of the British fleets and armies against 
the United American Colonies." 

The names of those who signed this pledge in Lee are 
as follows: Elijah Dinsmore, Samuel Jackson, Bennan 
Jackson, John Emerson, Samuel Emerson, Joshua Burnham, 
Joshua Burnham, Jr., Steven Wille, Joseph Sias, William 
French, Joshua Woodmarch, Eleson Watson, Philbrock Bar- 
ker, Moses Runnales, Samuel Hill, Ruel Giles, Cornilus Dins- 
more, Job Runals, E. Jones, Jr., Jonathan Dow, Isaac Small, 
Peter Folsom, Josiah Durgien, Miles Randel, Benjamin Dur- 
gin, John Sanborn, Jonathan Runales, Zacheus Clough, Job 
Runels, Jr., Enoch Runels, William Goen, Ephm Sherburne, 
Dimond Fernald, Richard Hull, Samuel Langmaid, Ebenezer 
Jones, Lemuel Chesley, John Jones, Benj. Clark, George 
Jones, Benj. Jones, Smith Emerson, Isaac Clark, Simon 
Rindel, James Bracket, Stephen Stevens, Gideon Mathes, 
Daniel Chesle, George Chase, Thomas Arlen, Zebelin Wiley, 
Timothy Muncy, Micajah Bickford, David Shaw, Amos Fer- 
nald, Edward Scales, Robert Parker, John Mendum, Hunk- 
ing Dam, John Follett, Ebenezer Randel, Eli Furber, Eben- 
ezer Burnum, Joseph Brackett, Joseph Follitt, Samuel 
Stevens, Samuel Bickford, Jonathan Fisk, William Way- 



29 

mouth, George Tuttle, George Duch, James Watson, Samuel 
Watson, Timothy Moses, Dennet Waymouth, John Kennison, 
Josiah Kennison, Wilham GHden, John Putnam, Anthony 
Fling, John Davis, Clement Davis, Andrew Watson, Thomas 
Tuttle, Thomas Tufts, Samuel Burley, James Davis, Jere- 
miah Hutchins, John Davis, Nathaniel Frost, Henry Tufts, 
Jonathan Stevens, Henry Tufts, Jr., Thomas York, Nicholas 
Tuttle, Robert York, Eliphalet York, David Davis, Nathaniel 
Stev^ens, William Stevens, Samuel Durgin, Joseph Watson, 
Reuben Hill, Sam Hutchins, Josiah Bartlett, Moses Dam, 
Jonathan Thompson, Samuel Mathes, William Ely, Samuel 
Langley, Samuel Smith, Nicholas Meder, Mathias Jones, 
Benj. Jones, Joseph Jones, Tolman Thompson, Zekiel Wille, 
Edward Leathers, John Leathers, Joseph Doe, John Wil- 
liams, John Layn, Benj. Brily, Thomas Huckins, Jr., Elijah 
Fox, John Wiggin, James Clemens, John Sias, Benjamin 
Bodge, Mark Weder, Mr. Samuel Bodge, John Glover, Ed- 
ward Hill, Thomas Wille, Ezekiel Wille, Thomas Noble, 
Samuel Woodman, Edward Woodman, Thomas Hunt, Josiah 
Burley, Samuel Wille, Joseph Pittman, Samuel Snell, Jr., 
Thomas Langley. 

There are one hundred and forty names in the list. Fol- 
lowing are the names found on the Revolutionary War rolls 
who actually carried arms in the war. It is a very creditable 
list for the little town of Lee : 

Elijah Dinsmore, Samuel Jackson, John Emerson, Joshua 
Burnham, Samuel Wille, Ezekiel Wille, John Sias, WiUiam 
French, Moses Runales, John Runels, Enoch Runnels, Samuel 
Reuben Hill, Ebenezer Jones, John Jones, Benj. Jones, Jos. 
Jones, Jonathan Dow, Isaac Small, Benj. Durgin, Sam. Dur- 
gin, Ebenezer Randall, Edward Hill, John Sanborn, Zacheus 
Clough, Stephen Stevens, Jonathan Stevens, Samuel Stevens, 
William Stevens, Nathaniel Stevens, Micajah Bick, Samuel 
Bickford, Daniel Shaw, Robert Parker, Eli Furber, Ebenezer 
Burnham, Jonathan Fisk, John Kennison, Anthony Fling, 
John Davis, Clement Davis, James Davis, David Davis, 
Thomas Tuttle, Henry Tufts, Samuel Burley, Jeremiah 
Hutchins, Samuel Hutchins, Nathaniel Frost, Eliphalet 



30 

York, Josiah Bartlett, Jonathan Thompson, Edward John 
Leathers, John Williams, John Layn, Thomas Huckins, John 
Wiggin, John Sias, Samuel Bodge, John Glover, Samuel 
Woodman, Edward Woodman, Thomas Hunt, Josiah Burley, 
Joseph Pitman, Col. Hercules Mooney, and John Mooney, 
son of the colonel. 

Col. Mooney's record is one of the best of New Hampshire 
men. His farm was what was known, till a very recent 
date, as the home of your distinguished citizen. Miss Mary 
A. Hoitt. Other men of Lee have good records, but cannot 
be mentioned in this brief sketch of the town's history. 

The following refused to sign the " Test," as they were 
" Quakers," or members of the Society of Friends, which 
opposed all war. They were not " Tories." Robert Thomp- 
son, Joseph Cartland, William Jenkins, William Jenkins, Jr., 
Charles Runlet, Joseph Meder, James Bunker, Samuel La- 
mas, David Muncy, John Snell, William Colwell, Joseph 
Emerson, Robert Glover, Aaron Hanson. 

ICHABOD WHIDDEN, 

William Laskey, 

Selectmen of Lee. 



SOLDIERS OF LEE IN THE CIVIL WAR 



Charles R. Clay: Co. 3d Regt. ; enl. Aug. 23, 1861 
re-enl. Jan. 23, 1864 ; disch. Aug. 24, 1865. 

Joseph T. Cummings : Co. 3d Regt. ; enl. Aug. 23, 1861 
re-enl. Feb. 16, 1864; disch. June 19, 1865. 

Moses Lovering: Co. D, 3d Regt.; enl. Aug. 23, 1861 
re-enl. Feb. 14, 1864 ; disch. July 20, 1865. 

Frank Bridges: Co. H, 5th Regt.; enl. Aug. 18, 1864 
died May 5, 1865. 

Francis Lovell : 5th Regt. ; enl. Dec. 28, 1863 ; missing 
April 7, 1865. 

Clonen Jean : 5th Regt. ; enl. Dec. 17, 1864. 

John A. Randall: Co. A, 5th Regt.; enl. Feb. 6, 1865 
disch. June 28, 1865. 

Miron B, McAlister: Co. A, 5th Regt.; enl. Feb. 4 
1865; disch. June 2, 1865. 

Erastus C. Davis : Corp. Co. C, 6th Regt. ; enl. Nov. 27 
1861; disch. June 24, 1862. 

John F. Jones: Co. C, 6th Regt.; enl. Nov. 27, 1861 
disch. Nov. 27, 1864. 

Washington Davis: Co. H, 6th Regt.; enl. Nov. 28 
1861; re-enl. Dec. 31, 1863; killed June 25, 1864. 

William Hardy: Co. K, 6th Regt.; enl. Jan. 5, 1864 
deserted Jan. 31, 1864. Born in Ireland. 

William Johnson: Co. E, 6th Regt.; enl. Jan. 5, 1864 
captured Sept. 30, 1864. 

Andrew Lawrence : Co. C, 6th Regt. ; enl. May 18, 1864 
deserted June 14, 1864. 

Hollis S. Peavey : Co. C, 6th Regt. ; enl. Jan. 11, 1864 
died Sept. 7, 1864. 

Andrew Locke: Co. D, 8th Regt.; enl. Dec. 28, 1861 
disch. April 10, 1862.. 



32 

Nathaniel Glover: Co. I, 8th Regt.; enl. Dec. 20, 1861; 
re-enl. Jan. 4, 1864, Vet. Bat. ; disch. Oct. 28, 1865. 

John S. Harvey: Co. H, 8th Regt.; enl. Aug. 28, 1862; 
trans, to Co. C, Vet. Bat. ; disch. Oct. 28, 1865. 

Edwin Lamondan : Co. I, 10th Regt. ; enl. Jan. 25, 1864 ; 
trans. 2d Regt. Jan. 21, 1865. He is also given as " Edmond 
Larmandeau " and " Edmond Normandeau ;" born in Canada, 
age 19. He was a musician and deserted Dec. 5, 1864. 

Joseph White: Co. D, 10th Regt.; enl. Jan. 5, 1864; 
trans, to 2d Regt. Jan. 21, 1865 ; disch. June 19, 1865. 

Dana M. Dicy: Co. G, 10th Regt.; enl. Jan. 5, 1864; 
killed June 27, 1864. 

Charles E. Linscott: Musician, Co. I, 10th Regt.; enl. 
Jan. 5, 1864; trans, to 2d Regt. June 21, 1865; disch. Dec. 
19, 1865. 

Enoch Glover: Co. I, 10th Regt.; enl. Sept. 4, 1862; 
disch. June 21, 1865. 

Adison Osborne : Co. I, 10th Regt. ; enl. Sept. 4, 1862 ; 
trans, to U. S. Cav. Oct. 25, 1862; mustered out June 21, 
1865. 

True W. Langmaid: Co. A, 11th Regt.; enl. Aug. 18, 
1862 ; wounded May 6, 1864, Wilderness, Va. ; mustered out 
June 4, 1865. 

David H. Lang: Co. A, 11th Regt.; enl. Aug. 19, 1862; 
killed Sept. 30, 1864, in battle at Poplar Springs Church, Va. 

John N. Marsh: Co. A, 11th Regt.; enl. Aug. 28, 1862; 
disch. June 4, 1865. 

Albra Plummer: Co. A, 11th Regt.; Aug. 28, 1862; 
promoted to corp; disch. June 4, 1865. 

Lawrence G. Otis: Co. G, 13th Regt.; enl. Sept. 19, 
1862; disch. May 14, 1864. 

Daniel S. Randall: Co. E, 13th Regt.; enl. Sept. 19, 
1862; trans, to inv. corp, Feb. 15, 1864; disch. June 28, 
1865; died April 10, 1872. 

Charles A. Fernald: Co. E, 13th Regt.; enl. Sept. 19, 
1862 ; disch. May 16, 1865. 



33 

George W. Hanson: Co. E, 13th Regt.; enl. Sept. 19, 
1862 ; trans, to U. S. Navy April 28, 1864. As an ordinary 
seaman he served on the " Florida " and "Quaker City ;" 
disch. June 11, 1865. 

Joseph A. Jones : Co. E, 13th Regt. ; enl. Sept. 19, 1862 ; 
died Feb. 3, 1863, at Aquia Creek, Va. 

Richard Randall : Co. E, 13th Regt. ; enl. Sept. 19, 1862 ; 
disch. Sept. 19, 1863. 

Bradbury C. Davis: Co. C, 13th Regt.; enl. Sept. 19, 
1862; disch. June 10, 1865. 

Orrin Dow : Co. E, 13th Regt. ; enl. Sept. 19, 1862 ; pro- 
moted to sergt. ; disch. May 7, 1865. 

John W. Emerson: Co. F, 13th Regt.; enl. Sept. 19, 
1862; disch. April 2, 1863. 

True Emerson : Co. F, 13th Regt. ; enl. Sept. 19, 1862 ; 
disch. April 2, 1863. 

Joseph G. Clay : Co. F, 13th Regt. ; enl. Sept. 19, 1862 ; 
disch. June 21, 1865. 

Israel G. York: Corp. Co. D, 13th Regt.; enl. Oct. 8, 
1862; disch. Aug. 13, 1863. 

Stephen Hilton : Co. D, 15th Regt. ; enl. Oct. 14, 1862 ; 
disch. Aug. 13, 1863. 

Josiah D. Thompson: Co. D, 15th Regt.; enl. Oct. 8, 
1862 ; disch. Aug. 13, 1863. 

George W. Demeritt: Co. I, 18th Regt.; enl. Feb. 6, 
1865 ; promoted to sergt. May 18, 1865 ; disch. July 29, 1865. 

Samuel Durgin : Co. F, 12th Regt.; enl. Aug. 31, 1862; 
born in Strafford; age 44; disch April 16, 1863. He re- 
enlisted in Vet. Res. Corps, Jan. 5, 1864. He gave his age 
then as 52. Enl. Jan. 5, 1864; disch. Sept. 9, 1865. His 
residence was Nottingham, but he enlisted for "Lee." 

Frank G. Wentworth : 2d Lieut. Co. F, 7th Regt. ; enl. 
Nov. 7, 1861 ; resigned June 3, 1863 ; Aug. 25, 1863, he was 
appointed 2d Lieut, of First Co. Heavy Art.; promoted to 
1st Lieut. Sept. 29, 1864; disch. Sept. 11, 1865. 



34 

Josiah D. Thompson : Co. B, H. A. ; enl. Sept. 4, 1864 ; 
disch. Sept. 11, 1865. 

David S. Bennett: Co. D, H. A.; enl. Sept. 4, 1864; 
disch. Sept. 11, 1865. 

Albert S. Cummings: Co. D, H. A. ; enl. Sept. 11, 1864; 
disch. Sept. 11, 1865. 

Joseph B. Davis: Co. D, H. A.; enl. Sept. 11, 1863; 
disch. June 15, 1865. 

Albert W. Davis: Co. D, H. A.; enl. Sept. 11, 1864; 
disch. June 15, 1865. 

George B. Haley: Co. B, H. A.; enl. Sept. 11, 1864; 
disch. June 15, 1865. 

Charles A. Rollins: Co. D, H. A.; enl. Sept. 4, 1864; 
disch. May 31, 1865. 

Nehemiah Randall: Co. D, H. A.; enl. Sept. 4, 1864; 
disch. Sept. 11, 1865. 

Jonathan B. Thompson : Co. D, H. A. ; enl. Sept. 4, 1864 ; 
promoted to corp. ; disch. June 23, 1865. 

Josiah D. Thompson : Co. D, H. A. ; enl. Sept. 4, 1864 ; 
disch. Sept. 11, 1865. 

Robert McKee: Co. M, H. A. ; enl. Aug. 14, 1864; disch. 
June 9, 1865. 

Lawrence Keough: Co. H, 14th Regt. ; enl. as substi- 
tute Aug. 14, 1863 ; disch. July 1, 1865. 

William E. Smith: Substitute; enl. Aug. 19, 1864; U. 
S. Navy ; served on the " Vandalia," " San Jacinto," " Fort 
McHenry," and "Muscoota;" disch. May 20, 1867. 

James Fitzgerald: Substitute; enl. Aug. 19, 1864, U. 
S. Navy ; seaman on the " Vandalia ;" deserted Sept. 6, 1864. 
Born in Scotland. 

James McPherson : Substitute; enl. Aug. 17, 1864; de- 
serted. 

John Powers: Substitute, Co. B, 10th Regt.; enl. Aug. 
14, 1863; disch. Feb. 28, 1865. 

James McClay: Substitute; enl. Sept. 17, 1863; de- 
serted. 



35 

John Mullen : Substitute ; born in Ireland ; enl. Aug. 14, 
1863 ; Co. B, 10th Regt. ; wounded Aug. 5, 1864, near Peters- 
burg; disch. Dec. 19, 1865. 

Edwin W. Dalton : Substitute, Co.B, 10th Regt. ; enl. Aug- 
14, 1863 ; wounded June 3, 1864, at Cold Harbor, Va. ; died 
Oct. 15, 1864. 

G. Singer: Substitute ; enl. Oct. 1, 1863 ; deserted. 

In the above list are sixty-four names. Could the town 
if called upon in this year, 1916, furnish sixty-four men for 
the army, if the President should call for volunteers? 



MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL IN LEE 



Lee has not only furnished vaUant and patriotic men for 
war, but it has also furnished men who were equally 
valiant in the walks of peace. The first minister here was 
Rev. Samuel Hutchins, who was pastor of the people who 
assembled in the old meeting house here on the Hill from 
1762 till 1797. He signed the Association TesU to aid in 
carrying on the war, and he not only did good service in 
his pulpit, in exhorting his parishioners to join in the 
battles, but he also enlisted and set them an example, which 
they were not slow in following. In the fall of 1775 and 
winter of 1776, when it was expected that the British war- 
ships would attack Portsmouth, and threatened to destroy it, 
as they had done with the settlement at what is now Port- 
land, Me., Mr. Hutchins enlisted, with quite a number of 
his parishioners, one of whom was my great grandfather, 
Samuel Scales, who lived on the Scales farm in Nottingham, 
a mile and a half north of your town house. They went to 
Portsmouth harbor and did duty there till the siege of 
Boston ended on the 17th of March, 1776. 

Rev. John Osborne was Mr. Hutchins' successor. He was 
born in Newcastle, N. H., March 7, 1769. He died in the 
parsonage on Lee Hill, Feb. 28, 1832. He was a minister in 
Newcastle before coming to Lee, in 1800, when he became 
the settled minister here and remained in office till his death. 
He was twice married, — first marriage, Nov. 25, 1790, Abi- 
gail Smith; she died Sept. 18, 1796; second marriage, Nov. 
12, 1797, Miss Mary Frost of Newcastle, who survived him 
some years. In the performance of his duties as pastor he 
conducted many marriage ceremonies. He kept a record of 
those marriages, the manuscript of which has been published 
in the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, vol. IV, in the 
year 1907. He performed his first marriage Feb. 19, 1801, 
"Asa Kennison of Nottingham to Susanna Kennison of 
Newmarket." He married five hundred and thirty-eight 



37 

couples; the last one was Jan. 31, 1832. He died Feb. 28, 
1832. The epitaph on the headstone at his grave is as 
follows : 

" Elder John Osborne, born in Newcastle, N. H., March 7, 
1769 ; died in Lee, Feb. 28, 1832. As a Christian eminent for 
piety, and a minister faithful in office, the people, over whom 
he presided for more than thirty years, erect this stone as a 
token of their lasting affection and respect." 

In his early ministry Elder Osborne was a Congregation- 
alist, but later he was inclined more to the Free Will Baptist 
belief ; as they spoke of their ministers as " Elder," instead 
of " Reverend," the change of belief may have been to the 
change in style of address. He was known far and wide as 
" Elder Osborne." Benjamin Randall, founder of the Free 
Will Baptists, was born in the same village at Newcastle in 
which John Osborne was, twenty years later. Elder Os- 
borne's preaching, no doubt, led so many young men in Lee 
to become Free Will Baptist ministers; not one a Congre- 
gationahst. 

Elder Israel Chesley was Mr. Osborne's successor, and 
served for a quarter of a century. His successor was Rev. 
Mason Moore, who graduated from Andover Theological 
Seminary in 1855 and commenced preaching on the Hill that 
year. He remained the minister till 1868. About this time 
Elder A. G. Comings removed from Mason, N. H., to Lee and 
was preacher a number of years in the Baptist church, now 
the Grange Hall. 

The present Congregational church was organized Dec. 
3, 1867 ; the present chapel had been built in 1861, for Mr. 
Moore. The ministers who have followed Mr. Moore, and 
the dates of their terms of service are as follows: Rev. 
John W. Lees, 1870-1880; Rev. Lewis D. Evans, 1881-1884; 
Rev. Richard M. Burr, 1884-1886 ; Rev. W. A. Forbes, 1886- 
1889; Rev. Charles S. Bales, 1890-1892; Rev. Daniel W. 
Richardson, 1893-1896; Rev. Benjamin A. Willmot, 1896- 
1900 ; Rev. James T. Berry, 1900-1903 ; Rev. George E. Kin- 
ney, 1904-1909; Rev. Isaac A. Ross, 1911-1913; Rev. Lorenzo 
W. Multart, 1913-1914 ; Rev. Arthur Brotherston, 1915. 



38 

The following persons were natives of Lee who became 
ministers and did good service in other towns. They were 
all, or nearly all, parishioners of Rev, John Osborne, and he 
was largely influential in shaping their careers as ministers 
of the Gospel. 

Rev. Jesse Burnham. He was born in 1778, and resided 
here till 1806, when he removed to Sebec, Me., and began 
preaching there. His work was satisfactory and he was 
ordained in June, 1808, at Charlestown, Me. Jointly with 
Rev. Ebenezer Scales and Rev. Mr. Libby, he organized a 
church there and remained its pastor seven years. Later 
he organized Free Will Baptist churches in several Maine 
towns, and left them in flourishing condition. In 1840 he 
removed to Janesville, Wis., where he became influential in 
organizing churches, in various towns around there. He 
organized the first Free Will Baptist Quarterly Meeting in 
Wisconsin. He was an able organizer and did extended mis- 
sionary work. He preached until within four weeks of his 
death, at Janesville, Dec. 5, 1863. 

Daniel Elkins was born in Lee in 1760 ; removed to Gil- 
manton in 1797 and began preaching there in 1798, as a 
Free Will Baptist. He continued doing missionary work till 
1804, when he was ordained, as a minister of that belief, at 
a Quarterly Meeting at Sandwich, N. H. He organized a 
church in 1809 at Jackson and remained its pastor more 
than thirty years. He did much missionary work in the 
mountain towns. 

Joseph Foss, Free Will Baptist, was born in Lee in 1765. 
He resided in his native town till 1802. He then began hold- 
ing missionary meetings in the surrounding towns. In 1812, 
when he went to Brighton, Me., and became pastor of the 
Free Will Baptist church there. He held that position forty 
years, and did much ministerial work in towns that had no 
regular minister. He died in that town in 1852. 

Thomas Huckins was born in Lee in 1795. When a boy 
he removed with his parents to East Canada, and remained 
there till 1811. In 1812 he was at Portsmouth, N. H., and 
during the war he was a soldier and sailor, in turn, on the 



39 

American side of the conflict. After the close of the war 
he returned to East Canada and became a Free Will Baptist 
minister. He received his " license to preach " before leav- 
ing New Hampshire, having shown good ability for the 
work. In due time he was ordained to the ministry. He 
was the first minister to preach the " Free Will " doctrine 
in Canada. He remained in that province about ten years 
and then went to Lexington, Mich., in 1839, where he 
established a church and was its pastor ten years. He died 
there in 1853. 

Robert Mathes, Christian Baptist, was born in Lee in 
1772. When thirty years old he became impressed with the 
feeling that he must go and preach the Gospel. He soon after 
removed to Milton and began preaching there. Later he 
was ordained to the ministry, and did a large amount of 
itinerant work in New Hampshire and Maine. 

Charles Frost Osborne, Free Will Baptist, son of Rev. 
John and Mary (Frost) Osborne, was born 12 March, 1800. 
He was a young man of fine ability. He was engaged in 
business at Alton, and later in Scarborough, Me. He did not 
engage in preaching until he was thirty-eight years old. He 
was licensed to preach in 1838, and was ordained in 1840. 
He was pastor of the church in Scarborough five years. 
Later he was minister of churches in other towns. He died 
in Gorham, Me., in 1856. 

William W. Smith, Christian Baptist, son of Samuel 
Smith, was born in Lee in 1811. He was a farmer till he 
was about thirty, when he received a license to preach, and 
then continued farming and doing itinerant work as preach- 
er, but not as regular pastor of a church. In 1849 he went 
to California, via Cape Horn. He was chaplain of the sailing 
vessel during the long and tedious voyage. He engaged in 
mining, farming, and running a gristmill. But he kept up 
the practice of conducting religious meetings whenever an 
opportunity was found for him to preach. He was a good 
speaker and his audiences always gave him close attention. 
He served in the Navy during the Civil War. After the 
close of the war he perfected drawings for rapid fire guns, 



40 

armored trains, etc., but some one stole his plans before he 
could secure patents on them, and others got the benefit of 
his inventions. He died at Antioch, Cal., Oct. 16, 1899. He 
was a Christian hero. He was 88 years old, and had been a 
resident of that State a half century. 

John G. Tuttle, Free Will Baptist, was born in Lee in 
1802. When he was about ten years old his parents removed 
to Effingham. That was his home till he was nearly thirty 
years old, and he was a successful farmer. In 1833 he was 
licensed to preach, having shown good ability for the work, 
in the presence of the Elders of the Quarterly Meeting. He 
followed itinerant work till 1837, when he was ordained as 
regular pastor at Wolfeborough. He served as pastor in 
churches at Gilmanton, Danville, and South Weare. He died 
in Lowell, Mass., in 1845. 



JEREMIAH SMITH GRANGE-PATRONS 
OF HUSBANDRY 



The institution in Lee that deserves to be mentioned as 
second only to the church is the Jeremiah Smith Grange, 
Patrons of Husbandry, which was organized Feb. 19, 1891, 
with twenty-four charter members, a good number of whom 
are now Hving. Your celebration here today is in the twenty- 
fifth year of its existence, so you might as well count it in 
as a part of the programme. It has done a prosperous, en- 
joyable, and beneficent work during a quarter of a century. 
It has an interesting history, but I cannot enter upon that 
subject on this occasion, or rather do more than enter by 
giving the list of names showing who have served as Masters 
of it. They are as follows: B. Frank Davis, 1891-1892; 
Frank J. Davis, 1893; B. Frank Davis, 1894-1895; Albert L. 
Comings, 1896-1897 ; George A. Dudley, 1898-1899 ; Arthur 
J. Thompson, 1900-1901 ; John C. Bartlett, 1902-1903 ; Ar- 
thur J. Thompson, 1904-1905; Arthur J. McDaniel, 1906- 
1907; George A. Dudley, 1908-1909 ; Frank J. Caldwell, 1910- 
1911; Albert B. Dudley, 1912; Eugene L. Moore, 1913-1914; 
Albert B. Dudley, 1915; Robert H. Hardy, 1916. 



ROADS IN LEE IN 1804 



In 1804 John Rundlett, with chainmen John Ford, Jr., 
and Andrew Demeritt, perambulated the town lines; and in 
the same year measured the various roads in the town, and 
recorded the names of the residents on the roads, and the 
distances between their houses. November 27, 1804, they 
made a report to the town, and that report later came into 
the hands of Tobias Cartland. A few years ago it was given 
to Mr. Charles S. Cartland, by whose permission I am per- 
mitted to make the following extracts, which I think you 
will find interesting. In a way it shows " Who was Who " 
in Lee one hundred and twelve years ago. 

Surveyor Rundlett found the following distances on the 
adjoining towns: The Nottingham Hne, 4 miles, 82 rods; 
Barrington line, 2 miles, 211 rods; Madbury line, 7 miles, 
297 rods ; Durham line, 5 miles, 66 rods ; Newmarket line, 1 
mile, 186 rods; Epping line, 2 miles, 305 rods. Total, 18 
miles, 187 rods. 

At this time Lee Hill was called Federal Hill ; who gave 
it that name or when it was given I do not know. The 
report says the road from " Federal Hill thro2igh the Hook " 
to Durham line was 3 miles and 9 rods. The following house- 
holders lived on the road. Several of their houses are stand- 
ing now. Starting from the Hill: Abraham Mathes, Sam 
Mathes, Hill's Bridge, — Sam Thompson. This house is now 
known as the Israel Bartlett house. It was built by Captairi 
Reuben Hill, who acquired the falls on the river and the ad- 
joining farm, in the middle of the 18th century. The house 
is probably not less than 160 years old. The first bridge 
was built about the same time, hence was called " HilVs 
Bridge. " The next house is Lieut. Hilton's. It stood where 
John C. Bartlett's house now stands, and was taken down to 
give place to the present house. 

Lieut. Andrew Hilton was born at Newmarket, August 
8, 1763. He was son of Winthrop and Sarah (Smith) Hilton, 



43 

who was son of Col. Winthrop and Martha (Weeks) Hilton; 
he was son of Col. Winthrop and Ann (Wilson) Hilton; and 
this Col. Winthrop was grandson of Judge Edward Hilton, 
the founder of Dover, in the spring of 1623. The Hiltons 
were extensive land owners, and lived in what is now New 
fields ; when they came into possession of the Bartlett farm I 
do not know, but Andrew Hilton was living there when the 
first U. S. Census was taken, in 1790, and his family then 
consisted of two men, four women, and two children. The 
farm has been in possession of the Bartlett family since 
1822, when it was purchased by Hon. Josiah Bartlett, and 
at his death it passed to the ownership of his son, Hon. John 
C. Bartlett, the present owner ; so the farm has been in pos- 
session of two men for nearly a century. The present owner 
has improved it to such an extent that he raises two spears 
of grass in his fields where formerly grew only one. It is 
one of the best farms in Strafford county, and it goes 
without saying that Mr. Bartlett is one of the best farmers 
in the county. His father was a good farmer, as well as a 
valiant officer in the war of 1812-15 ; his grandfather, Col. 
Thomas Bartlett, was a good farmer in Nottingham, as well 
as one of the great patriots of the Revolution. 

The next house beyond Lieut. Hilton's was Josiah Burley, 
Capt. Tuttle, Capt. Frost, Thomas Tufts, Durham line. 

Road to Northwood: Begins at Esqr. Leavitt's store, 
Elijah Cartland's house (now known as Timothy G. Davis, 
or Simon Otis house). Esquire Leavitt's "M" house, Edward 
Hardy, Footman house, Nottingham line. Total, 1 mile and 
90 rods. 

Road to Wadleigh's Falls : Began at Leavitt's well (on 
the Hill), Eli Furber, Furber's bridge, Josiah Durgin. Dis- 
tance, 2 miles and 72 V2 rods. 

North River road: Began at one rod west of Leavitt's 
store (on the Hill) ; then 5 rods to Dr. Guy's house, school- 
house, Capt. Josiah Bartlett's house, Hunking Dame, at 
junction of the road to Nottingham, Little River bridge, 
Peltiah Thompson (at top of the hill), Jonathan Cartland 
(now Charles S. Cartland's) Friends' meeting house, Levi 



44 

Runnels, Kelsey road to Nottingham, William Palmer, Moses 
Huckins, schoolhouse, Lieut. Lang's house, Jos. Burnham, 
Joseph Ladd, North River mill, Sam Allen. Distance, 3 
miles and 156 rods. 

This road is one of the old highways that antedates the 
incorporation of the town. The Thompsons were on the Hill 
there two hundred years ago, and their descendants are 
there now, but not the original house ; a long series of good 
farmers on a good farm. The Cartlands have had their 
home on that road for more than one hundred and seventy 
years. It has come down from the original settler, Joseph 
Cartland, who purchased the land for the farm in 1737. 
He was married and took his bride there to live in 1745. The 
house that is now standing was built about that time, and 
the present owner takes pride in keeping it in good repair, 
as he also keeps the ancestral acres under a good state of 
cultivation. There are other historic associations connected 
with the house and farm. The Cartlands were members of 
the Society of Friends, and leaders in the organization. 
They were also strong anti-slavery men and women. When 
the " under-ground railroad " commenced active operation 
for safe transportation of the colored slaves of the South 
through the Northern States to the land of freedom in 
Canada, the Cartland home was one of the " ivay stations" 
and there were never any " return tickets" delivered for 
the South-land, at the ticket office there. 

The Friends' meeting-house that is mentioned in the rec- 
ord of 1804, was later converted into a schoolhouse, and 
somewhat enlarged, by Moses Cartland, who was a famous 
school-master, and kept school there in the middle of the 
19th century. This house was the home of the noted " Wal- 
nut Grove School," which for many years was a fitting 
school for young men, for business and for college, if they 
desired to enter the higher institutions. They had interest- 
ing lectures there, delivered by distinguished speakers, John 
G. Whittier, the poet, was a frequent visitor at the Cartland 
home. In its day this school ranked among the best of the 
New Hampshire Academies. It began work about 1845. It 



45 

was in a flourishing condition nearly a quarter of a century. 

The Doe or Fox Garrison was a half or three-fourths of 
a mile westerly of the Cartland homestead ; the story of it is 
told on another page. The house was torn down a few 
years ago. 

The Quaker Meeting-house near the Cartlands was for 
the accommodation of the Friends in Lee, who could not 
conveniently attend the meetings of the society in Dover, 
whose house is now standing on Central avenue, near Pine 
Hill Cemetery. There were quite a number of Quaker fam- 
ilies in Lee. 

Wadleigh's road, from North River road: Began at 
Moses Huckins' house. Widow Jackson, Tobias Cartland, 
John F. Meder, Chapman's, John Watson, Esquire Steele's 
house, Tim Moses, D. Watson, Col. John Folsom, Widow 
Folsom, Sam Chapman. Total distance, 2 miles, 273 rods. 

The Huckins house is now standing and occupied by Mrs. 
George W. Flummer, who is a granddaughter of Moses Huck- 
ins. The Esquire Steele house is what was known later as 
the Gardner Towle house. It was probably built soon after 
the close of the Revolutionary war by Esq. Steele, who was a 
prominent and wealthy man in his time. Mr. Towle was also 
a prominent citizen of Lee for a number of years. In the 
later part of his life he lived in Exeter. His son, Hamilton 
Towle, was a distinguished engineer. He was a passenger 
on the " Great Eastern " on its first voyage across the 
Atlantic. When about midway of the voyage the stearing 
gear became disabled, and but for the skill and ingenuity of 
Mr. Towle the ship could not have reached New York under 
its own power. He saw what ought to be done and did it, 
after long persuasion of the Captain to permit him to do the 
job. Mr. Towle patched the gearing in such a way that it 
worked the steamship into port. It was regarded as a great 
engineering feat. 

High road : Began at the Epping line, Esq. Sias, bridge 
over North river, Joseph Lawrence, at Wadleigh's road. Dis- 
tance, 1 mile, 98 rods. 



46 

Exeter road: Began at Wadleigh's bridge, E. Wiggin, 
Epping line. Distance, 224 rods. 

Noble's road : Began at Lawrence's corner, Widow Wey- 
mouth, Thomas Noble, Jr., Moses Davis. Distance, 252 rods. 

Kelsey road: Began at North River road, 20 rods to 
Joseph Emerson's, Obediah Davis, Jonathan Thompson, Not- 
tingham line. Distance, 194 rods. 

In passing it seems well to speak of the Rev. Israel Ches- 
ley farm, on the road near Wadleigh's Falls. Elder Chesley 
was born November 24, 1788. He was son of Lieut. Benja- 
min and Deborah (Randall) Chesley. His birthplace was 
in the house that stood where now stands the College Pres- 
ident's house. New Hampshire College. October 25, 1812, 
he married Betsey Folsom, daughter of Col. John Folsom, 
and they commenced housekeeping on the Folsom farm 
about that time. It had been in possession of the Folsom 
family more than 50 years ; and it has been in possession of 
the Chesley family a century, at least, the heirs of Irving 
G. Chesley being the present owners. Elder Chesley's 
grandfather, Thomas Chesley, was great-grandson of Phil- 
ip Chesley, the emigrant ancestor who settled in Old Dover 
275 years ago. Elder Chesley was ordained as a Christian 
Baptist minister in 1816, at Durham, at the same time 
when Elder William Demeritt was ordained, and became 
pastor of the Christian Baptist church at Durham. Elder 
Chesley was the minister in Lee who succeeded Elder John 
Osborne, who died in 1832. Elder Chesley died 29 Sept., 
1866 ; his wife died 23 May of the same year. 

The Mast road : Began at Durham line, 4 rods westerly 
of Laskey's bridge, then 22 rods to William Laskey's house 
(now the Bartlett house), then 16 rods to the Wednesday 
Hill road, Lieut. Runals, Capt. Giles, schoolhouse, Capt. 
Robert Parker's house, now known as the Hale place. Step- 
ping Stones Road, Job Randall, Rev. John Osborne, John 
Randall, Mica j ah Bickford, Joseph Follett, Meeting-house, 
Jonathan Jenkins, Esqr. Leavitt's house, Sam Furber. Dis- 
tance, 2 miles, 154 rods. 



47 

Capt. Parker was a distinguished citizen of Portsmouth 
before he commenced farming in Lee, He built the house 
about 1785. His grave is in the old burial ground, below 
his house. Before the middle of the 19th century, Hon. 
William Hale of Dover bought it for his son, Andrew, and 
after Judge Jeremiah Smith, Sr., died his widow came here 
to reside with her brother. Her son. Judge Jeremiah Smith, 
Jr., passed much of his boyhood here, until he entered col- 
lege. I do not need to say that your grange is named for 
him, in recognition of the many good things he and his 
mother did for Lee. It would make a long and interesting 
story to tell it all. 

The Laskey house has been in possession of the Bartlett 
family for more than a century. Jonathan Bartlett, son of 
Col. Thomas Bartlett of Nottingham, married Love, a daugh- 
ter of William and Mary (Randall) Laskey, Feb. 2, 1809. 
That was their home till his death in 1852. She died Aug. 
7, 1884, in the 95th year of her age. The farm is now owned 
by their grandson, Charles W. Bartlett of Boston, the dis- 
tinguished lawyer, senior member of the great law firm of 
Bartlett & Bartlett. William Laskey's father, John Laskey 
of Kittery, bought that farm in 1722 and came there to reside 
that year " near Wednesday Hill brook ;" so Mr. Bartlett 
of Boston and his Bartlett-Laskey ancestors have owned that 
farm 194 years. I do not know who built the house, but 
probably the senior member, John Laskey of Kittery. 

Wednesday Hill road: Began 16 rods west of William 
Laskey's house, then 96 rods to William Clough's house, 80 
fods to Packer's Falls road, William Jenkins, Capt. Giles, 
Widow Langley, Levi Langley, James Jenkins, W. Hill, Jo- 
seph Clark, to -the Meeting-house. Distance, 2 miles, 206 
rods. 

The Clough farm came into possession of Thomas Ches- 
ley, brother of Elder Israel, about 1816, and is now owned 
by his son, George E. Chesley, who is now in his 84th year, 
and has one of the best farms in town, which is accounted for 
in part, by the fact that he is one of the best farmers in 
Strafford County. The Chesley family has owned the farm 



48 

one hundred years. The farm was first taken up by Zacheus 
Clough, about 1750, and passed from him to his son, William, 
who sold it to Thomas Chesley, as above stated. 

Stepping Stones road: The surveyor began to measure 
at the Barrington line, then to Cotton Dockham, Thomas 
Langley, Thomas Langley, Jr., Oyster River, Warner's house, 
east end of the pond, cross road to Widow Chesley, Aaron 
Hanson, to Mast road. Distance, 2 miles, 11 rods. 

Barrington road : Began at Durham line, Davis' house, 
Capt. Emerson, Smith, Esqr. Steele, Simon Randall, Capt. 
Leathers, Snell's mill, Jones, John Snell, Josiah Bodge, New- 
town road, David Munsey, Pinkham, to Barrington line. 
Distance, 2 miles, 235 rods. 

Tu7mpike road: Began at Durham line, 20 rods to Oys- 
ter river, John Jones, Andrew Demeritt, to cross road, Capt. 
Giles, John Layne, Edmund Lane, Tollhouse, Oyster river, 
Lemuel Chesley, W. Hill, to Barrington line. Distance, 2 
miles, 20 rods. 

Ash Swamp road: Begins at Capt. Bartlett's house 
(North River road) to Thompson hill, 101 rods; bridge, J. 
Randall's house, to Nottingham line. Distance, 1 mile, 82 
rods. 

The Davis farm in the Hook district, has been in the 
possession of the Davis family more than one hundred and 
fifty years. It was purchased by Lieut. David Davis about 
^750 and he settled there soon after that date. From him 
it passed to his son, David, who in turn passed it to his son, 
Nathaniel Goodrich Davis, who was born in 1836. It is now 
owned by Nathaniel's son, Thomas Jones Davis, who was 
born in 1859, and is a lawyer in Duluth, Minn. Esquire 
Davis has presented to New Hampshire College a tract of 
eight acres in Lee and Durham. He planted it to sweet 
chestnut trees, and it is called " Davis Park." The college 
authorities are taking special care of it. In the not distant 
future it will be one of the fall recreations of the college 
students to go there and gather the chestnuts. 



BIG TAX PAYERS IN LEE IN 1 804 



That old manuscript from which the above mentioned 
data were obtained, contains other interesting matter, among 
which is an inventory of the farms in Lee in 1813. It shows 
the number of acres of orchards, arable land, mowing land, 
pastures; and the tax rate for that year, which was $1.30. 
The following were among the largest tax payers: Capt. 
Robert Parker, $23.45 ; Job Thompson, $17.50 ; Joseph Law- 
rence, $17.35; David Rundlett, $15.82; Daniel Ladd, $12.80; 
Jonathan Cartland, $8.45. 

Mention has been made of the Stepping Stones road. 
Perhaps the younger people here today may not understand 
why that road is so called on the survey, hence a little expla- 
nation may be in order. 

The stones were so arranged, at an early period in the 
settlement, as to afford a safe footing across the channel of 
Oyster river, shortly after it leaves Wheelwright's Pond and 
across the adjacent marsh. Mention is made of them Nov. 
16, 1720, when 50 acres of land were laid out to Nathaniel 
Hill on the north side of Wheelwright's Pond, beginning at a 
black oak standing near the place called the Stepping Stones, 
and thence run E. S. E. 68 rods to the pond. These stones 
remained in use till the middle of the 19th century. 

Wheelwright's Pond lies between Lee Hill and Newtown. 
The name of this pond was derived from Rev. John Wheel- 
wright, the founder of Exeter, in 1639. He had his grant of 
land from the Indian Sachem who ruled over the territory 
here, and this pond was on the boundary line, as Mr. Wheel- 
wright understood it ; hence in the disputes with the Dover 
authorities about the boundary line between Dover and Exe- 
ter, which lasted for many years, Wheelwright claimed this 
as his pond. Richard Otis of Dover was authorized by the 
town, July 3, 1666, " to cut all the grass about the pond by 
Oyster river, which was known by the name of Mr. Wheel- 
wright's marsh.'* 



50 

Whitehorne's plains, in Lee, are along the line of Bar- 
rington and Nottingham, near the Lee boundary, and were 
often familiarly called Cm^Vs plains, from Curtis White- 
horne, a former owner thereon. A highway across the lower 
side is sometimes called Whitehoryie's road. 

Wednesday Hill is one of the ancient landmarks of Old 
Dover. It is on the upper side of Lamprey river. It is east 
of Lee Hill, in what was known as District No. 3. Mention 
is made of it Nov. 4, 1723, when 30 acres of land were laid 
out to Samuel Purkins on the south side of Wednesday Hill. 
Capt. Nathaniel Randall's grant of 30 acres on this hill is 
mentioned in the division of his estate, April 25, 1750. 

There has been much speculation as to the origin of the 
name. Why did the settlers about there, two hundred years 
ago, give it that name in preference to any other day of 
the week? An old tradition asserts that the Indians had a 
skirmish with the white men at that hill on some Wednesday, 
jbut there is no record of such a fight in Lee anywhere than 
at Wheelwright's Pond. Another tradition says it was so 
flamed by the early surveyors, who were laying out grants 
of land on or around this hill on a Wednesday and took their 
luncheons on the top. I think this is the correct solution of 
the problem. Those old surveyors had to give names to 
localities in order to find the lot of land when the owner went 
out to settle on it. 



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